In a remote monastery perched perilously on top of a crag in Piedmont, Italy, an old man lies dying. Thirty-two monks stand vigil at the deathbed; Mimo Vitaliani has lived among them for 40 years, yet few of them know exactly why. Nor did Vitaliani come alone, but with a mysterious statue that is kept under lock and key in the depths of the Sacra di San Michele,
With every beat of his heart, 29-year-old Nicholas Pellegrino felt like he was another pump closer to death. The religion and Spanish teacher at San Francisco's Archbishop Riordan High School was at the San Donato Milanese train station in Milan, Italy, and he was bleeding out.
Italy achieved a significant milestone by securing a spot in the semifinals after an impressive 2-1 victory over Norway, ending a 28-year wait, driven by Cristiana Girelli's remarkable performance.